Sonic Dash

Sonic Dash is a three-lane endless runner, which is to say it is the same shape as a dozen other games you have played. What it has that they do not is a character with thirty years of momentum behind him and an animation team who clearly enjoyed themselves. Whether that is enough depends entirely on how much the name means to you.

How it plays

You run automatically. Swipe left and right to change lane, up to jump, down to roll. Rings are collected, enemies are dashed through with a tap when the prompt appears, and the run ends when you hit something solid. Between runs there is an upgrade screen where rings buy longer boosts, better magnets and additional characters.

What's great

It is smooth. The frame rate holds, the controls register cleanly, and the sense of speed is genuinely well done — the homing-attack chains through a line of enemies feel exactly like they should. Runs are short and restart instantly. If you have any affection for the character at all, the presentation lands.

What holds it back

The upgrade layer is the problem. Progress is metered by currency, and the difference between a run with upgrades and one without is large enough that the early hours feel deliberately slowed. Ads are frequent and the revive prompt is aggressive. Underneath all of it the game is a competent but unremarkable runner, and after ten hours you have seen everything it does.